A/N: Here is a (belated) Valentine for you. I hope you enjoy it! I want to thank everyone for their well wishes. I came thru my surgery-minus a kidney-just fine and am feeling better than ever now! It's taken me a while to get back on the horse, so to speak, but here I am. I used this outtake to get things rolling again, and 'Walk' will be next.

I want to state that I realize that the events below-concerning medical/hospital procedures-may not be 100% correct. I claim creative license and will leave it at that. Thank you all for your support of this story and myself.

Kari-love you, girl! Kim-love you, too, but you'd better get in touch with me soon!

My thanks to Stephanie Meyers for allowing us to use her characters.

Enjoy! Rated M for language and adult content.

I remember the day very clearly.

I was finishing up the last of a group of Sorority girls, when my lovely wife came into the studio. Jazz, Embry, Seth and I were all on today for this group. One of them thought it was a great idea to get their crest inked, so they all had decided to do it. Not that I was complaining in the least. This was my livelihood and passion, next to my wife and twin boys.

I heard her say hello to Seth, whose station was now closest to the door. I looked up at her and smiled. Bella walked past me to our staff lounge area and sat on the edge of the couch.

"Where are the boys?" I asked.

"At home. Alice brought Tyler over and stayed with them so I could come here." Bella's knee was bouncing nervously.

"Why didn't you just bring them with you?" Bella didn't answer me. I covered the fresh tat on the Sorority girl and got cleaned up.

Bella was acting strange. It wasn't unusual for her to drop by, but it was unusual for her to not bring our boys. And she was acting so antsy. Maybe it was something at work. I sat down next to her, placing my arm around her.

"What's wrong, babe?" I asked, kissing the side of her head.

"Nothing is wrong, really. But I need you to come with me." Bella stood, holding her hand out to me. I took it and followed her to the private bathroom. She stopped just outside the door, both hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

"Bella." I laughed. "Tell me what the fuck is going on." She seriously had me confused by her behavior. I didn't know if I was about to get lucky, or get my ass handed to me.

"This." she smiled.

'This' was a pregnancy test she had pulled out of her pocket. My eyes shot to hers. "Really?"

"I think so. I was getting lunch ready today, and you know Ethan. He has to put ketchup on everything. One whiff and I was running for the guest bath."

Bella had this same aversion when she was pregnant with the boys, 3 ½ years ago. She threw up all over the patio after I poured the stuff all over my fries. After a week of queasiness and strange dreams, Rose advised her to get a pregnancy test. Rose was a little put out when Bella insisted on taking the test with me, rather than her. Bella's only explanation was that it wouldn't be real unless I was there. When I got home from work that night, I was asked to immediately join her in our bedroom. I was instructed to sit on the bed and wait for her. I didn't know what was going on until a few minutes after she came out of the bathroom. With the positive pregnancy test in hand. And now, here we were again.

"Get in there!" I squealed. Yes, I squealed. Just like a little girl... that I hoped we were pregnant for. I all but pushed Bella through the door and damn near did a jig waiting for her.

I heard the faucet turn off and stopped dancing around just in time for Bella to open the door.

"Well?" I asked.

"Edward, it still takes 3 minutes." she said, with a peck to my lips. That was just NOT going to work right now.

"Come here." I pulled Bella to me and kissed her properly. Our affection and desire for each other had only grown over the last 12 years.

"What the hell is going on back here?" Jasper asked with mock indignation. "Are we going to have to resort to the 'sock on the door handle' thing?"

I looked at Bella for the okay before explaining to Jasper. She nodded. It wasn't like he wouldn't know, anyway. Alice knew, which meant that he would know, too. They were a lot like us in that way. Bella and I shared everything.

"We might be pregnant." I said with a grin.

"Well hot damn!" Jasper whooped. "Wait...might be?"

Bella stepped inside the bathroom and produced the box for Jazz. Having a kid himself, he knew the box well.

"Oh. Okay." he said a little sheepishly. "I'm just gonna wait out there." he pointed towards the studio and left us to wait.

"It's gonna be a girl. I can feel it." I announced to Bella. A huge smile had taken over my face.

"Edward. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." she chuckled, then walked back into the bathroom. I followed closely on her heels. Bella snatched up the stick and turned her back to me.

"Woman!" I rumbled. "Let me see!" I poked my fingers into her ribs, causing Bella to shriek, and allowing me to grab the stick.

"Yes!" I yelled. I dropped the stick into the sink and wrapped my arms around Bella. Burying my head into the hair at her neck, I chanted my thanks and love.

That was 5 months ago. Bella is 6 ½ months pregnant with, yes...our baby girl. The doctor assures us that she's the only one in there, but we both have our doubts. Bella is the same size now as she was with the boys at 26 weeks. Not that I would mind, but with the boys, we were prepared.

"Edward!" Bella hollered from the patio. I put her out there with her feet up as soon as she got back from work today. I didn't coddle her like Jasper does with my sister, but I did look out for my wife. Even pregnant, she quite often thinks and does for all of us, before taking care of herself. So, I have to put my foot down every now and then.

Sue me.

I walked out to the patio carrying Bella's snack just in time to see Zac streak by. Streak being the operative word...he was naked and headed for the beach.

"You created this problem, you take care of it." Bella laughed. She was referring to a story I told about skinny dipping when I was a teen. Zac just happened to overhear it. Now, whenever he thought he had the opportunity, he stripped. I caught him up in my arms, hoisting him over my shoulder.

"When is my sister gonna get here?" he asked for the umpteenth time. I held his shorts out for him to step into.

"It's still going to be a couple months, bud. Let's go look at the calendar."

Bella had gotten the boys their own calendar with baby girl's due date circled. Every night, they crossed off another day. Ethan seemed to get the idea better than Zac.

After dropping him off with his brother and their Lego's, I checked on Bella. She was in the shady area of the patio, stretched out on the chaise, eyes closed. A warm breeze was blowing her hair around her face, her hands lying gently on her swollen belly. The rush of emotion that hit me took me by surprise.

I didn't think about it very often, but I know how close I came to losing all of this. If you'd have asked me then, if this was where I saw my life, I'd have told you yes. Corny as fuck, but when I look into Bella's eyes, I see everything.

I get. To have. Everything.

I love my job, my home, my family, Bella and our boys. And now, there she lies. Pregnant with our little girl, creating life.

And before I turn into a complete pussy, I need to get back into the house and paint baby girl's room. I wanted pink, Bella wanted a light green. Zac and Ethan thought it would be great to paint the room orange. They were left out of the coin toss. I won.

"Shasta? Who put that in?" Bella asked warily. I chuckled, remembering when I wrote it down for Ethan.

We were sitting around the table after dinner going through the name jar. Whenever we thought of a name we liked the sound of, we wrote it down and dropped it into the jar. Every couple of weeks, we went through it, weeding out the ones we didn't like.

"I did, Mommy." Ethan smiled. Bella only smiled back and picked up the next piece of paper.

"Erica," she read. "Penny, Emma, Lara..." Bella continued. "Moonbeam? Rainbow Skye?" Bella looked at me in horror.

"That wasn't me!" I defended. "Jasper must have done that the last time he was here. I caught him looking through the names when he came in for a beer."

"Rainbow Skye Cullen." Bella snorted. "I think we should save that one for them."

I got up to herd the boys in for their bath, stopping at Bella's chair. "Do you like any of these?" I knelt down next to her, my hand instinctively caressing her belly.

"What do you think about Elizabeth?" she asked. I stared off in the distance, thinking about calling my little girl by Beth's name. Feeling Bella's hand ghost across my face, I brought my eyes to meet hers.

"I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with 'Beth'." I told her honestly.

"We wouldn't have to call her that. What about Ellie? Or maybe as her middle name?"

"Ellie would be okay. Let me think about it." I kissed my wife soundly before leaving her to attend to the boys.

I thought about the name while the boys destroyed the bathroom, and the more I thought about it, the more I found that I liked it. By the time I had Ethan and Zac ready for bed, I figured that it would be a fitting tribute to my cousin.

The boys said goodnight to their mother, I read them their favorite story and tucked them in for the night. By the time I was done, Bella had gone into bed, herself.

All but one of the lights were off in our bedroom, and Bella was propped up with pillows against the headboard. She had a slight smile on her face and a gleam in her eye.

My girl was feeling frisky.

I stood next to her and she lowered the sheet that was covering her. Bella was wearing my favorite bra of hers. Of course being 6 ½ months pregnant, her breasts were spilling out the top...but I didn't mind one bit. I smiled and ran a finger over the swell.

"I look like a beached whale." she sighed.

"You most definitely do not." I argued. "You look ravishing, and that's what I want to do." I knelt down next to the bed. "Ravish you." I whispered in her ear, my lips ghosting against her skin. I felt Bella shiver and continued on my quest.

"You always feel so good; you make me feel so good." Bella said, winding her fingers in my hair.

Lovemaking was a little tricky at this stage, so I eased Bella over to the middle of the bed and got in behind her after losing my clothes. I gently pulled her bra off and began to caress her shoulders. Bella has this spot, on her back just below her neck that is really sensitive. The slightest touch makes her shudder in delight. I placed a few open mouthed kisses there, then exhaled lightly over the area. Bella reached her hand back and grabbed my thigh.

I took her hand away and put it on my pillow, and with my arm that was under her, held both her hands there. My right hand ran a course from her shoulder to her calves and back, ever so lightly. Her soft moans of pleasure were going to undo me. When Bella wriggled her ass against me, I knew that she'd about had enough.

"Edward," she whimpered, "please..."

Feeling Bella's soft, warm body respond to my touch always amazes me. I saw the goosebumps rise and retreat, listened to her breath hitch, and felt her fingers curl around mine. She was the epitome of sexy. And all mine.

It struck the baser chords of my being to see her like this. She was so vulnerable, yet so strong. Trusting me completely and giving me everything she possesses. It made me very protective and quite possessive. It didn't help those feelings that she was pregnant. As a matter of fact, it only intensified them.

I lifted her leg to rest on top of mine and eased my cock into her warmth. Bella's fingers gripped mine and she exhaled sharply. I stopped immediately.

"Are you okay?" Even though I knew it was safe, I was always afraid of hurting her.

"Yesss," she moaned. "Don't stop." she said, pushing back against me.

That flipped the switch from 'loving husband' to 'caveman'. Well...loving caveman, anyway. I bit down gently on the place between her shoulder and neck and began thrusting into her slowly.

"Fuck. You're so tight in this position, Bella." I told her, taking her ear lobe between my lips.

"I need more, Edward. Faster." she pleaded.

I tweaked a nipple and started moving faster. "How's this, baby?" I panted.

"Yeah," she breathed. "More...harder."

I gave her what she wanted and by the time we were done, we were both worn out and completely satiated. I curled my body around Bella and tucked her head under my chin.

"I'm okay with Elizabeth," I said yawning.

"Okay." Bella muttered, patting my cheek. The next thing I heard was her snoring.

The next 6 weeks seemed to fly by. Between Bella's insomnia, and her late night cravings for Chinese food, I was getting very little sleep. So, when I was brought out of a deep snooze by four tiny fists beating on my chest, I was somewhat disoriented.

"What? Stop! I'm awake." I told my two frantic looking boys. "What's the problem?"

All I heard was 'mommy' and 'on the floor', and I was off the couch. I ran into our bedroom and heard Bella before I saw her. I found her lying on the bathroom floor in a puddle of water.

"Christ, Bella, what the hell happened?" I asked, bending down to help. "Did you slip?"

"My water broke, you asshole." Bella said through clenched teeth.

I got behind her and started to lift her off the floor. I saw blood and panicked. I eased Bella back down.

"Ethan!" I yelled. "Call Aunt Alice!" I watched my son scramble to the bedroom phone. We had run through different emergency scenarios with the boys, and Ethan had picked up the dialing of the phone better than Zac. Plus, all he had to do was push 2 buttons. All the family was on speed dial.

"Which one, Daddy?"

"3, Ethan."

I pulled out my cell and called 911. The blood was freaking me out and obviously not a good sign. Bella was breathing heavily and looked pale.

"Bella?" I pushed the hair from her face. The operator picked up just as I was going to try to lift Bella again.

I explained the situation to the emergency operator, who told me not to move Bella. The ambulance was on the way, and so was Alice. I sat on the floor, cradling Bella's head in my lap and caressing my daughter through her belly.

"Stay with me, baby. Help is coming." I said, trying to calm Bella, but also myself. I noticed the boys staring, wide eyed and just as freaked out as me.

"It's going to be okay, guys. Mommy will be fine. Go wait for Alice in the living room."

I was at a loss at what else I should do. All I knew was that I couldn't let them just stand there and watch this unfold, but I couldn't leave Bella. I heard the front door slam, and knew that at least some help was here.

My head shot up to the door way as Jasper and Alice ran into the room.

"Her water broke, and there's blood. The ambulance is on the way." I said. My voice sounded far away, but it wasn't just the sound resonating off the bathroom walls. The weight of the situation hit me head on, when I saw the look in my sister's eyes.

"Jasper, go get the boys. Take them to our house, right now. They don't need to see their mother taken out of here on a stretcher." She turned back to me. "I called Dad; he and Mom will be waiting at the hospital."

The next few minutes were a blur to me. Alice somehow got Bella's dress off, and a clean one on. She got a wet cloth to wipe down Bella's face. The whole time, reassuring us both. The ambulance arrived and I watched them get Bella onto the stretcher. They put an oxygen mask on her, set up an IV, injected something into it and rushed her out to the vehicle.

Alice and I clambered into the back, squeezing in to make enough room for the guy to work on Bella. I felt Alice's arms around my shoulders, and her telling me that everything would be alright.

"It has to be." I whispered, and took Bella's hand.

We arrived at the hospital and they took Bella immediately into a ready and waiting operating room. My father was there, stopping me from following.

"Edward, you can't go in there." I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Fuck that, I'm going in." I said, as I made my way to the door.

"Edward." Dad put his hands against my chest. "You can't. They are going to do a Cesarean section on her. From what the emergency workers told her doctor, this is a very serious situation. It's called an Amniotic Fluid Embolism. Some amniotic fluid has entered Bella's bloodstream and is wreaking havoc on her system. They need to work fast and not have a hysteric husband in their way."

"Dad, how serious is this?" I dropped into a chair outside the room. The door to the operating suites opened, a nurse had come out to speak to us.

"They've started the Cesarean, it shouldn't take too long and the doctors will do everything in their power to save them both." she spoke gently and had a sympathetic look in her eyes. They took on a look of shock when I jumped out of my chair.

"Save them both?" I yelled, incredulous. "They damned well better save them both!" I pushed my dad and the nurse out of the way and went through the doors.

I found Bella in the first operating suite and watched in horror through the window. I was just in time to see them carry my baby girl, bloody and thankfully wailing, to a small table across from Bella. I could only see Bella's head from where I stood. There were doctors and nurses working on her and blood was everywhere. I felt my dad's hands on my shoulders, guiding me away from the door.

"Come, Edward. Let them finish."

When we got out to the waiting room, everyone was there except Jasper, who was at home with the kids. I said hello to Rose and Emmett and called to check on Ethan and Zac. Jasper had been able to distract them and got them to settle down and go to sleep. I could only wonder if there'd be repercussions to them seeing their mother like they had.

I heard everyone talking in hushed tones, asking my dad questions about Bella and the baby. I tuned them out as I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall. My mother was trying to console me, linking her arm through mine and resting her head on my shoulder. At this point, nothing anyone said mattered. The only thing that I wanted to hear was that both Bella and our little girl were going to be okay.

The wait was killing me. I sat up, bouncing my knee with nervous energy. I couldn't meet anyone's eyes; I didn't want to see the sympathy I knew I'd find there. I got up and started pacing.

What the hell is taking so long? I thought to myself. The door opened and a grim looking doctor walked in. He looked around the room at us all, nodding his head towards my father.

"Carlisle." he said in acknowledgment. Then his eyes met mine. "Well, the good news is that everyone is fine. Bella will finish the night in ICU and the babies will be in the NICU for a short while."

I sighed heavily with relief and sank into the chair next to Emmett. "Yes!" he said, clapping me on the back.

"There is more." the doctor interrupted. "We weren't able to save Bella's uterus. I'm sorry to tell you that you won't be having any more children. Bella needed a full hysterectomy."

The news saddened me some, but I honestly couldn't care much at that point. Bella and baby Elizabeth were going to be fine.

"I need to see them." I said, rising from the chair.

"Of course. We need to let them get your wife settled in her room." the doctor said. "I'll take you by the nursery first, if you like."

"Yes." I said, anxious to get moving.

The entire entourage followed the doctor to the nursery viewing area. He stopped, waiting for everyone to get a place in front of the window.

"There." he pointed, then tapped lightly on the window to get the nurse's attention.

I watched as she angled two of the bassinets towards us. She adjusted the little knit hat on one of the babies and smiled at us.

"The cards are too small, I can't read which one is Elizabeth." I said. I heard a collective gasp and turned to see Alice, Mom and Rosalie all staring at me.

"Oh my God." Alice whispered, looking at Rose. "The doctor did say babies, didn't he?" Rose nodded. I was thoroughly confused. I turned my head back to the doctor, who smiled and said "Babies."

I looked through the glass again, and saw that the nurse had brought the bassinets closer. They were right in front of me now. Both cards read 'Baby girl Cullen'.

"But..." I stuttered, looking at the doctor. "You said there was only one."

"Yes, well...you see how the one on the right is a bit smaller?" I looked and sure enough, she was awfully tiny. "She was hiding."

"Ha!" Emmett laughed. "Twins again! I gotta call Seth and Jasper."

"Two precious baby girls." my mother gushed as she pressed closer to the window.

"I need to see Bella. I have to tell her." I said.

"Sure. Bella should be in her room now. The rest of you will need to wait outside." the doctor instructed.

"I'll stay here with the girls." my mother offered.

I walked in a daze to Bella's room, hardly being able to wrap my head around the night's events. Bella was safe and we had two baby girls.

"Two." I thought giddily.

I stopped short upon entering Bella's room. The nurse saw my reaction and started speaking.

"My name is Mark, I'll be your wife's nurse for the next couple of nights."

"I'm Edward." I told him, walking over and taking Bella's hand in mine.

"Your wife is fine. Right now we have her on oxygen and fluids to replenish her system, along with a morphine drip. She'll be a little swollen for a few days, but that is to be expected after being opened up like she was." he informed me. "Right now, we just want her to rest. Tomorrow will be the hard part."

"Why is that?" I asked suspiciously.

"The sooner we get her up and moving, the better. It'll be quite painful, but she'll heal faster and actually have less pain in the long run."

I'm not sure how long I sat at Bella's side. I finally settled down and leaned back in the chair, her hand still in mine. I must've fallen asleep because I woke up with a start when I heard my girls enter the room.

A nurse was wheeling their bassinets in, my mother in tow. "Your babies are hungry." she smiled. "And I wanted to know if you needed any help." Mom asked.

I didn't want to hurt my mom's feelings, but I really felt the need to be alone with my girls. "I think I've got it." I smiled. "I have had some practice at this." I laughed, hoping it would help to not offend her.

"Of course, Edward. I'll be right outside if you need me." Mom gently touched each of the babies cheeks and walked out.

The nurse showed me where all the baby supplies were and left us alone. I stood over my girls, just watching them for a moment before scooting one of them over and placing the other next to her sister.

I unwrapped them both, hats and all. I wanted to see that they were all there. I looked them both over from head to toe. They were both perfect. Both girls had full heads of hair; one reddish brown like mine and one pale blonde...just like Beth.

The enormity of that hit me like a ton of bricks. All these years, I thought I had been over Beth's death, but not until this very moment, was I truly free from it. As I looked at baby Ellie, I felt my whole being lighten. Not only was I finally free, I had been blessed with two baby girls.

"Hi Ellie." I cooed. "I'm your Daddy." I picked her up and nuzzled her face gently. "and you, little one..." I managed to get the second baby in my arms. "me and Mommy are going to have to come up with another name."

I held my girls at Bella's bedside and let the tears roll down my face. I wanted to remember this moment forever.

The babies' fussing brought me back to the task at hand. I got them dressed and re-wrapped, leaving them lying next to each other. I found the bottles and wheeled the bassinet to the bedside. Ellie seemed to have dozed off temporarily, so I picked up Baby Girl and got her to latch onto the nipple. I heard a soft sound and looked up to see Bella staring at me with glassy and confused eyes.

"Bella." I said with relief. I leaned in and kissed her temple. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"Foggy. What happened?" she said hoarsely, looking at the baby in my arms.

I sat the bottle down and offered Bella a drink from cup of water. She gingerly took the straw and drank. Ellie coughed, getting Bella's attention, which only added to the confusion. She lifted a weak hand, pointing towards the unattended baby.

"Umm, well...Surprise." I smiled. "There was another one in there after all. We need another name."

I laid the baby down next to her sister and raised the head of Bella's bed some. After getting her situated with an extra pillow, I picked up Ellie and put her in her mother's arms. I got Baby Girl and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What happened?" Bella asked, inspecting both babies as best she could. I put Baby Girl, as I had now been referring to her, on my shoulder and gave her back some gentle taps.

I told her about the boys finding her on the floor, which made Bella cry. Then about Alice coming in and taking charge of the situation. I was never more proud of my little sister than at that moment, I told her.

I rushed through the rest, not really wanting her to know just how hard it was on me to see her looking bloody and broken. I paused, but Bella knows me too well.

"What else?" she asked quietly.

"They had to do a hysterectomy, Bella." I took her hand, not sure how she'd take the news.

"Oh." was all she said. I watched her face. Bella's eyes danced around the room, then came to rest on me and the baby on my shoulder. She looked at Ellie and took a deep breath, wincing a little at the pain it caused, then smiled sadly. "We have four beautiful children. It doesn't matter."

The next day, Bella was moved out of ICU. We gathered everyone in her room for the big introduction. Dad held Zac while Ethan was on Emmett's shoulders. Jazz had he and Alice's son, Tyler. All of them were bouncing with excitement. We had decided on the full names of the girls, and with our boys' stamp of approval, we were going to announce them to the family.

"Bella, Zac, Ethan and I would like to introduce...Alice Esme Cullen." I said proudly.

"Allie!" Ethan yelled. Bella kissed little Allie's forehead.

"And Elizabeth Rose Cullen." My voice cracked a little speaking her name.

"Ellie!" Zac said.

I held up Ellie, much like Mufasa did in Lion King, which was at Zac and Ethan's request.

The women in the room, and my dad, all had tears in their eyes. The babies were taken from Bella and I and passed around the room.

"Edward, Bella. I can't tell you how honored I am that you included me in Allie's name." Mom hugged us both, then took her turn with Allie.

"Without sounding ungrateful, because I truly am, why did you name Allie after me?" Alice asked, wiping a tear.

"Alice, you've been such a big part of our lives. You got us together in the beginning, you've been there for us through everything, and the other night..." Bella wiped at her own tears. "you were there when we needed you the most."

Alice leaned forward, hugging us together. "I love you guys."

"Well, I knew I'd be included. If you didn't name one of your kids after me, there'd be hell to pay!" Rose joked. Though, I don't know exactly how serious she was. She always scared me just a little.

I sat next to Bella, my arm around her and just took in the laughter and happiness from everyone. Our boys were so excited to be big brothers to two little sisters. Everyone was healthy and happy.

And I had Bella by my side. What man could ask for anything more?

It was proof that everything we had gone through to get to this point, had been worth it. I leaned Bella back against her propped up pillows and kissed the ever loving hell out of her. We had our happily ever after.

A/N: There you have it. The very last installment of Love Ink. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you for reading :)